Election

‘Putin in 2012’ Websites Registered By The Kremlin

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A secretive Russian government agency has reserved a batch of internet domain names for Vladimir Putin, the prime minister, in a move which strongly suggests he is planning a return to the presidency in 2012.

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The move strongly suggests Vladimir Putin is planning a return to the presidency in 2012 Photo: EPA

Russia’s Federal Protection Service, an elite government agency that traces its roots back to the Soviet KGB, reserved twenty two Russian-language internet domain names in late August for the 57-year-old former KGB spy including the Cyrillic equivalent of Putin-2012.rf and Putin2012.rf.

The move fuelled speculation that Mr Putin is planning to contest a presidential election in 2012 which opinion polls show he would be sure to win. The Russian prime minister has stopped short of saying he will definitely return to a job that he did for eight years from 2000-2008 but has made it clear he wants to continue to play a frontline role in national politics.

Many analysts believe he has already begun his election campaign in order to prepare public opinion for a comeback even though, in the eyes of many Russians, he never left. Indeed, Mr Putin spent the summer burnishing his macho man-of-action credentials hanging out with bikers, piloting a fire fighting plane, and completing a rugged road trip across Russia’s Far East.

By contrast, President Dmitry Medvedev, the loyalist Mr Putin handpicked to succeed him in 2008, has looked more like a sedentary Soviet-style bureaucrat. However, Mr Putin’s spokesman strongly denied the move to reserve the internet domain names for Mr Putin meant his boss would definitely run for president in 2012. He said it was merely a measure to prevent ill-wishers abusing the domain names for malicious purposes.

Read more‘Putin in 2012’ Websites Registered By The Kremlin

Afghanistan Election: Five Campaigners For Female Candidate Killed

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Male volunteers on Fauzia Gilani campaign killed amid growing campaign of intimidation against women running for parliament

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Afghan women line up to register as voters for parliamentary elections at a registration centre in Herat, Afgahnistan. Photograph: Jalil Rezayee/EPA

The bodies of five volunteers working for a female MP have been found riddled with bullets in western Afghanistan, amid a growing campaign of violent intimidation against women running in the country’s elections.

The men, aged between 20 and 35, were found dead by villagers in the Adraskan district of Herat province, some distance from where they were kidnapped by gunmen on Thursday while out campaigning for Fauzia Gilani.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of 10 of her campaign workers as they travelled in remote countryside. Five of the workers were released before the others were found dead.

The insurgent movement has not yet claimed responsibility for the murders, but Gilani – one of hundreds of women running in next month’s elections – said she believed the “enemies of Afghanistan” were responsible.

“These people were just my volunteers,” she said. “They were just trying to help – I wasn’t paying them any money.”

She said she did not know whether they were targeted because she is a woman, but said that in western Afghanistan, the “society is controlled by men”.

“They are in charge, and they don’t want a woman to be above them,” she said.

Read moreAfghanistan Election: Five Campaigners For Female Candidate Killed

The Sun Censored Poll Showing Liberal Democrats Could Win The Election With 49 Percent Of The Votes

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nick-clegg
YouGov also found that if people thought Mr Clegg’s party had a significant chance of winning the election, it would win 49 per cent of the votes, with the Tories winning 25 per cent and Labour just 19 per cent.

The Sun newspaper failed to publish a YouGov poll showing that voters fear a Liberal Democrat government less than a Conservative or Labour one.

The Liberal Democrats accused the newspaper, which is owned by Rupert Murdoch, of suppressing the finding. The paper, which endorsed Labour in the past three elections, declared its support for David Cameron during the Labour Party’s annual conference last October. Like other Tory-supporting papers, it has turned its fire on Nick Clegg over his policies, pro-European statements and expenses claims since he won last week’s first televised leaders’ debate.

YouGov also found that if people thought Mr Clegg’s party had a significant chance of winning the election, it would win 49 per cent of the votes, with the Tories winning 25 per cent and Labour just 19 per cent. One in four people Labour and one in six Tory supporters say they would switch to the Liberal Democrats in these circumstances. The party would be ahead among both men and women, in every age and social group, and in every region. On a uniform swing across Britain, that would give the Liberal Democrats 548 MPs, Labour 41 and the Tories 25.

The Liberal Democrats hope the long-standing argument that supporting them would be a “wasted vote” is breaking down following the surge in support for them in the past week. However, even the most optimistic Liberal Democrats do not expect to win the election.

Read moreThe Sun Censored Poll Showing Liberal Democrats Could Win The Election With 49 Percent Of The Votes

Britain evacuates families of embassy staff in Iran

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Foreign Office warns against non-essential travel to country amid continued violence following disputed election

The Foreign Office said today it was evacuating the families of embassy staff in Iran and advised against all non-essential travel to the country after the violent crackdown on street protests following the disputed presidential election.

The decision comes after the Iranian supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on Friday described Britain as the “most treacherous” of Iran’s enemies and blamed foreign interference for the unrest in the country.

In response, Iran’s ambassador to London was summoned to the Foreign Office and told that Khamenei’s remarks were unacceptable. Gordon Brown later condemned the “repression” and “brutality” used against the protesters.

The Foreign Office said today: “The ongoing violence has … had a significant impact on the families of our staff, who have been unable to carry on their lives as normal. As a result, we are withdrawing dependants of embassy staff until the situation improves.

“We do not believe that it is necessary to reduce the number of staff at this time; however, we are monitoring the situation with the utmost vigilance. The security of our staff is of paramount importance.”

Read moreBritain evacuates families of embassy staff in Iran

China cautions US over Iran

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China has broken silence on the developing situation in Iran. This comes against the backdrop of a discernible shift in Washington’s posturing toward political developments in Iran.

Related articles:
– Former Assistant Secretary of the Treasury PAUL CRAIG ROBERTS: Is This the Culmination of Two Years of Destabilization? Are the Iranian Protests Another US Orchestrated “Color Revolution?” (CounterPunch)
– Britain evacuates families of embassy staff in Iran (Guardian)
– Ahmadinejad is who Iranians want (Guardian)
– Pre-election Iranian poll showed Ahmadinejad support (Reuters)
– Ahmadinejad won. Get over it (Politico)

The government-owned China Daily featured its main editorial comment on Thursday titled “For Peace in Iran”. It comes amid reports in the Western media that the former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani is rallying the Qom clergy to put pressure on the Guardians Council – and, in turn, on Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei – to annul last Friday’s presidential election that gave Mahmud Ahmadinejad another four-year term.

Beijing fears a confrontation looming and counsels Obama to keep the pledge in his Cairo speech not to repeat such errors in the US’s Middle East policy as the overthrow of the elected government of Mohammed Mosaddeq in Iran in 1953. Beijing also warns about letting the genie of popular unrest get out of the bottle in a highly volatile region that is waiting to explode. Tehran on Friday saw its sixth day of massive protests by supporters of Mir Hossein Mousavi, whom they say was cheated out of victory.

Read moreChina cautions US over Iran

Unrest in Iran after election; Mousavi lodges legal appeal against Ahmadinejad victory

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Opposition candidate goes to country’s guardian council after supporters claim result was manipulated

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Smoke billows from a burning bus behind a supporter of Mousavi. Photograph: Olivier Laban-mattei/AFP/Getty Images

The defeated Iranian presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi today launched a formal appeal against the election result as his supporters took to the streets of the capital again, raising the prospect of more violent clashes.

Mousavi, who claimed his defeat by the hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was manipulated, said in a statement on his website that he had appealed to the ruling guardian council to overturn the result, and urged his supporters to continue protests “in a peaceful and legal way”.

Related articles:
– US rejects victory claim by Iran’s Ahmadinejad (AP)
– Iran reformists held after street clashes (BBC News)
– Iran arrests 170 over vote protests (AFP)
– Iran: “Government banks and buildings were torched” (The Media Line)
– Global Insight: The result in Iran defies belief (Financial Times)
– Biden: ‘Real Doubts’ About Fairness of Iran’s Election (FOX News)
– Riots erupt in Tehran over ‘stolen’ election (Guardian)

With temperatures at 35C, the situation in the Iranian capital threatened to run out of control as special forces in riot gear chased protesters through side streets near Fatemi Square. In a sign of the anger among Mousavi’s supporters, they chanted “the president is committing a crime and the supreme leader is supporting him”, highly inflammatory language in a regime where the supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, is considered irreproachable. Shops, government offices and businesses closed early as tension mounted.

Crowds also gathered outside Mousavi’s headquarters but there was no sign of Ahmadinejad’s chief political rival. Supporters waved their fists and chanted anti-Ahmadinejad slogans. Mousavi’s wife denied rumours that her husband had been placed under house arrest.

“People are tired of dictatorship,” she told Reuters. “People are tired of not having freedom of expression, of high inflation, and adventurism in foreign relations. That is why they wanted to change Ahmadinejad.”

Read moreUnrest in Iran after election; Mousavi lodges legal appeal against Ahmadinejad victory

Diebold voting system sported ‘delete’ button: report

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Election observers already distrustful of the electronic voting machine manufacturer Diebold will have more reason to be wary now.

“Following three months of investigation, California’s secretary of state has released a report examining why a voting system made by Premier Election Solutions (formerly known as Diebold Election Systems) lost about 200 ballots in Humboldt County during the November presidential election,” Kim Zetter reports for Wired.

Zetter continues, “But the most startling information in the state’s 13-page report (.pdf) is not about why the system lost votes, which Threat Level previously covered in detail, but that some versions of Diebold’s vote tabulation system, known as the Global Election Management System (GEMS), include a button that allows someone to delete audit logs from the system.”

Read moreDiebold voting system sported ‘delete’ button: report

Bush Insider Who Planned To Tell All Killed In Plane Crash: Non-Profit Demands Full Federal Investigation

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To: STATE EDITORS

Contact: Ilene Proctor PR, +1-310-858-6643

WASHINGTON, Dec. 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Michael Connell, the Bush IT expert who has been directly implicated in the rigging of George Bush’s 2000 and 2004 elections, was killed last night when his single engine plane crashed three miles short of the Akron airport. Velvet Revolution (“VR”), a non-profit that has been investigating Mr. Connell’s activities for the past two years, can now reveal that a person close to Mr. Connell has recently been discussing with a VR investigator how he can tell all about his work for George Bush. Mr. Connell told a close associate that he was afraid that George Bush and Dick Cheney would “throw [him] under the bus.”

A tipster close to the McCain campaign disclosed to VR in July that Mr. Connell’s life was in jeopardy and that Karl Rove had threatened him and his wife, Heather. VR’s attorney, Cliff Arnebeck, notified the United States Attorney General , Ohio law enforcement and the federal court about these threats and insisted that Mr. Connell be placed in protective custody. VR also told a close associate of Mr. Connell’s not to fly his plane because of another tip that the plane could be sabotaged. Mr. Connell, a very experienced pilot, has had to abandon at least two flights in the past two months because of suspicious problems with his plane. On December 18, 2008, Mr. Connell flew to a small airport outside of Washington DC to meet some people. It was on his return flight the next day that he crashed.

On October 31, Mr. Connell appeared before a federal judge in Ohio after being subpoenaed in a federal lawsuit investigating the rigging of the 2004 election under the direction of Karl Rove. The judge ordered Mr. Connell to testify under oath at a deposition on November 3rd, the day before the presidential election. Velvet Revolution received confidential information that the White House was extremely concerned about Mr. Connell talking about his illegal work for the White House and two Bush/Cheney 04 attorneys were dispatched to represent him.

Read moreBush Insider Who Planned To Tell All Killed In Plane Crash: Non-Profit Demands Full Federal Investigation

Obama Is Elected 44th U.S. President, First African-American to Win Office

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Nov. 5 (Bloomberg) — Barack Obama was elected the 44th president of the United States, opening a new chapter in the country’s history as the first African-American to hold the world’s most important job.

The Illinois senator capped his 21-month quest with a sweeping electoral victory that also enhanced the Democrats’ majority in Congress and marked the end of an era of Republican dominance in Washington.

Obama crossed the requisite threshold of 270 electoral votes to defeat Republican rival John McCain, when television networks declared him the winner in the state of California.

That gave the Democratic nominee at least 275 electoral votes, according to the projections, and his tally is likely to grow as more results come in and states that backed Republican President George W. Bush in 2004 switch sides.

Obama’s victory, along with Democratic gains in congressional contests, puts him and his party in firm control of the federal government for the first time since the early 1990s. That gives Obama an opportunity to turn his victory into a pivotal moment in the country’s political history.

Read moreObama Is Elected 44th U.S. President, First African-American to Win Office

Missing ballots, balky machines hamper voting in key states

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Florida lines
Voters wait in line to cast their ballots in Orlando, Florida today.

Voters in Florida, Ohio and Virginia are among those reporting long lines and problems with ballots and voting machines. Voting-rights groups sound the alarm.

Reporting from Miami and Washington — Heavy voter turnout overwhelmed polling places in the key battleground states of Florida, Ohio and Virginia, prompting tens of thousands of complaints about long waits, missing ballots and malfunctioning voting machines.

Read moreMissing ballots, balky machines hamper voting in key states

Palin caught out by ‘President Sarkozy’

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Canadian radio comedian persuades Republican vice-presidential hopeful he is French leader in prank phone call

Perhaps Sarah Palin should have realised something was amiss when the caller purporting to be France’s president, Nicolas Sarkozy, referred to “my special American adviser, Johnny Halliday”.

Later in the call, maybe, she could have guessed that even the real Sarkozy would be unlikely to refer to his wife, Carla Bruni, as “so hot in bed” or talk about a supposed mutual love of hunting by saying “to take away a life, that is so fun”.

The would-be vice president was, of course, speaking to Canadian comedian Marc-Antoine Audette, part of a radio duo who have made prank calls to a series of world leaders over the years.

Palin didn’t give away anything of real note – except perhaps an ambition to be president herself “maybe in eight years” – or suffer any real embarrassments.

It is interesting, however, to hear Palin’s eager tone of voice and exaggerated politeness (“We love you! Thanks you for talking to me!”) which seemed to go beyond courtesy into sheer fandom.

Maybe Palin – like many others – still can’t believe the position she’s in right now.

Peter Walker
Sunday November 02 2008 10.05 GMT

Source: The Guardian

Alaska’s largest newspaper endorses Obama

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ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – The Anchorage Daily News, Alaska’s largest newspaper, endorsed Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama Sunday after declaring Gov. Sarah Palin “too risky” to be one step away from the Oval Office.

“Like picking (Republican presidential candidate John) McCain for president, putting her one 72-year-old heartbeat from the leadership of the free world is just too risky at this time,” The Daily News said.

The newspaper said Obama “brings far more promise to the office. In a time of grave economic crisis, he displays thoughtful analysis, enlists wise counsel and operates with a cool, steady hand.”

The Daily News said since the economic crisis has emerged, McCain has “stumbled and fumbled badly” in dealing with it.

“Of the two candidates, Sen. Obama better understands the mortgage meltdown’s root causes and has the judgment and intelligence to shape a solution, as well as the leadership to rally the country behind it,” the paper said.

Read moreAlaska’s largest newspaper endorses Obama

CNN: Colin Powell endorses Obama

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(CNN) — Former Secretary of State Colin Powell announced Sunday that he will be voting for Sen. Barack Obama, citing the Democrat’s “ability to inspire” and the “inclusive nature of his campaign.”


Former Secretary of State Colin Powell says he is voting for Barack Obama.

“I think he is a transformational figure, he is a new generation coming onto the world stage, onto the American stage, and for that reason I’ll be voting for Sen. Barack Obama,” Powell said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

Powell said he was concerned about what he characterized as a recent negative turn of Republican candidate Sen. John McCain’s campaign, such as the campaign’s attempts to tie Obama to former 1960s radical Bill Ayers.

“I think that’s inappropriate. I understand what politics is about — I know how you can go after one another, and that’s good. But I think this goes too far, and I think it has made the McCain campaign look a little narrow. It’s not what the American people are looking for,” he said.

Powell, a retired U.S. general and a Republican, was once seen as a possible presidential candidate himself.

Powell said he has some concerns about the direction of the Republican Party, adding that it has “moved more to the right than I would like to see it.”

Read moreCNN: Colin Powell endorses Obama

Ron Paul added to Louisiana presidential ballot

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When Louisiana voters go to the polls to chose a president on Nov. 4, they will find a name on the ballot many might not expect – Ron Paul.

Louisiana will be only one of two states where voters will have the opportunity to pull the lever for Paul, a congressman from Texas who ran unsuccessfully for the Republican presidential nomination. Paul built a wide coalition of grass roots support that helped him raise tens of millions of dollars for his campaign.

Paul has been added to the Louisiana ballot on the top of the Louisiana Taxpayers Party ticket with Barry Goldwater, Jr., a former Republican congressman from California and the son of the late Barry Goldwater, the Republican presidential nominee in 1964.

Read moreRon Paul added to Louisiana presidential ballot

Palin guilty of abusing power

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Sarah Palin is alleged to have pressured officials to dismiss a state trooper. Photo: AFP

REPUBLICAN vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin abused her power as Alaska governor, investigators found yesterday, in another blow to John McCain’s struggling White House bid.

As Senator McCain sought to restore control over unruly rallies that have seen a stream of invective, including a death threat aimed at Democratic rival Barack Obama, the “troopergate” scandal threatened to torpedo his campaign.

In a long-awaited 263-page report released by Alaska’s Legislative Council, investigator Stephen Branchflower said Mrs Palin was guilty of violating ethics rules for public officials.

He said she had allowed her husband Todd Palin to use the Alaska governor’s office and its resources to pressure officials to fire her former brother-in-law, state trooper Mike Wooten.

“Governor Palin knowingly permitted a situation to continue where impermissible pressure was placed on several subordinates in order to advance a personal agenda, to wit: to get Trooper Michael Wooten fired,” the report said.

Read morePalin guilty of abusing power

Zeitgeist: Addendum

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Related: Zeitgeist, The Movie, Final Edition


Added: Oct 3, 2008

Source: Google Video

Ron Paul: I’m supporting Chuck Baldwin, the Constitution Party candidate

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A New Alliance – By Dr. Ron Paul

The press conference at the National Press Club had a precise purpose. It was to expose, to as many people as possible, the gross deception of our presidential election process. It is controlled by the powerful elite to make sure that neither candidate of the two major parties will challenge the status quo. There is no real choice between the two major parties and their nominees, only the rhetoric varies. The amazingly long campaign is designed to make sure the real issues are ignored. The quotes I used at the press conference from insider Carroll Quigley and the League of Women voters strongly support this contention.

Calling together candidates from the liberal, conservative, libertarian and progressive constituencies, who are all opposed to this rigged process, was designed to alert the American people to the uselessness of continuing to support a process that a claims that one’s only choice is to choose the lesser of two evils and reject a principle vote that might challenge the status quo as a wasted vote.

Read moreRon Paul: I’m supporting Chuck Baldwin, the Constitution Party candidate

Fifth Grader Suspended For Wearing Anti-Obama Shirt

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This child just forgot to add Bush, Cheney, McCain, Clinton, Paulson etc.

The other side of the shirt should read: “Ron Paul, Freedom’s Best Friend.”
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An 11-year-old boy in Colorado was suspended from school after he refused to take off a shirt that read, “Obama is a terrorist’s best friend.” His father says that the school is violating his son’s First Amendment rights.

Daxx Dalton, a fifth grader at Aurora Frontier K-8 School in Aurora, Colo., wore the homemade shirt on a day when students were asked to show their patriotism by wearing red, white and blue, according to MyFOXColorado.com.

When he was given the choice of turning the shirt inside out or being suspended, Dalton chose suspension.

“They’re taking away my right of freedom of speech,” he said. “If I have the right to wear this shirt I’m going to use it. And if the only way to use it is get suspended, then I’m going to get suspended.”

Read moreFifth Grader Suspended For Wearing Anti-Obama Shirt

McCain’s Court: Change We Don’t Need

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Related video: (CNN) Ron Paul’s Major Announcement: Reject Obama and McCain!
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More justices in the mold of Antonin Scalia could be on the way under a McCain presidency. (Flickr: Chris Eversole)

There has been much debate about whether Sen. John McCain is a candidate of change. But in one area, McCain is unquestionably a reformer. He would almost certainly make fundamental changes in the direction of the U.S. Supreme Court.

McCain has said that, should he be president, Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito “would serve as the model for my own nominees.” He regularly attacks what he calls “activist judging,” and he described a recent ruling vindicating the right to habeas corpus as “one of the worst decisions in the history of this country.” McCain has repeatedly said that Roe v. Wade was wrongly decided and should be overruled.

Read moreMcCain’s Court: Change We Don’t Need

On the Second Amendment, Don’t Believe Obama

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Related video: (CNN) Ron Paul’s Major Announcement: Reject Obama and McCain!
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The presidential primary season is finally over, and it is now time for gun owners to take a careful look at just where nominee Barack Obama stands on issues related to the Second Amendment. During the primaries, Obama tried to hide behind vague statements of support for “sportsmen” or unfounded claims of general support for the right to keep and bear arms.

But his real record, based on votes taken, political associations, and long standing positions, shows that Barack Obama is a serious threat to Second Amendment liberties. Don’t listen to his campaign rhetoric! Look instead to what he has said and done during his entire political career.

FACT: Barack Obama opposes four of the five Supreme Court justices who affirmed an individual right to keep and bear arms. He voted against the confirmation of Alito and Roberts and he has stated he would not have appointed Thomas or Scalia.17

FACT: Barack Obama voted for an Illinois State Senate bill to ban and confiscate “assault weapons,” but the bill was so poorly crafted, it would have also banned most semi-auto and single and double barrel shotguns commonly used by sportsmen.18

FACT: Barack Obama voted to allow reckless lawsuits designed to bankrupt the firearms industry.1

FACT: Barack Obama wants to re-impose the failed and discredited Clinton Gun Ban.15

FACT: Barack Obama voted to ban almost all rifle ammunition commonly used for hunting and sport shooting.3

FACT: Barack Obama has endorsed a 500% increase in the federal excise tax on firearms and ammunition.9

FACT: Barack Obama has endorsed a complete ban on handgun ownership.2

FACT: Barack Obama supports local gun bans in Chicago, Washington, D.C., and other cities.4

FACT: Barack Obama voted to uphold local gun bans and the criminal prosecution of people
who use firearms in self-defense.5

Read moreOn the Second Amendment, Don’t Believe Obama

Secret Service confiscates books & buttons from Ron Paul delegates

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By: D. H. Williams @ 7:29 PM – EST

Today at the Republican National Convention, as the Ron Paul Delegates were taking a picture in front of the model White House inside the Convention Center, they were surrounded by Secret Service which proceeded to search the bags of all the delegates. They took any and everything related to Ron Paul including signs, buttons, videos, slim jims, cards, even books.

Read moreSecret Service confiscates books & buttons from Ron Paul delegates

Ron Paul: McCain, Obama ‘no difference’

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Ron Paul

Congressman Ron Paul says there is ‘no difference’ between US presidential candidates, Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain.

“Their foreign policies are identical,” the Texas congressman said in an interview with CNN on Thursday. “There’s no difference.”

“They want more troops in Afghanistan. They want to send more support to Georgia to protect the oil line there. Neither one says bring home the troops from Iraq from the bases — you know the bases are going to stay there, the embassy as big as the Vatican, that’s going to remain. So their foreign policies are exactly the same,” he added.

Read moreRon Paul: McCain, Obama ‘no difference’